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Nations
Middenweald: Middenfolk are wealthy, haughty people who are often members of noble houses. They are well versed in tales of black magic and creatures of the night, and how to combat them. They are often suspicious of magic, it being the source of many of the wooded region’s horrors. Undead are common in the Middenweald, and Middenfolk are often well-prepared to combat them. The Mint: Roll percentile dice and double the result. Begin with this value in bonus gold. May acquire Mint Tokens from the Bankers’ Guild. The Midden Court: May choose to be a noble from a Minor or Major house, or not at all. Midden Make: If a martial weapon is owned, may choose to begin with it silvered. ————— Hannelin: Hanneli folk are friendly, dedicated folk from a land of wide-open farmland. They are often down-to-earth individuals, and many are farmers and artisans. Some of them elect to join the Hawkriders, and bond with a Greathawk or some other bird to protect Hannelin. Dedication: May choose one extra proficiency, as well as a craft. Hanneli Hawkriders: May choose to join the Hawkriders. Hanneli Charm: Once per day, gain advantage on a check against Charisma or any associated proficiencies. ————— Gelridor: Dorians are a magic-attuned, traditional people with a great love for their country and royal family. They are often touched by wild magic. They are also adept with beating back the creatures that wander from the Feywilds. Fey-Touched: Can cast the Prestidigitation cantrip at will, no matter what class, so long as a source of magic is available. Inheritance: If starting with a martial weapon, it may be +1. Also begins with doubled starting gold. Walk the Wilds: Once per day, gain advantage on a nature or arcana check. Artistic inspirations for Gelridor are listed on these Pinterest boards for its geography and its people, but may require a Pinterest account to view. ————— Hadara (Hadari Jungle): “Hadari” most commonly refers to people hailing from the more civilized jungles of the Hadari territory. They are a enigmatic people, fiercely dedicated to their Sentinel Queen, the Divine Hadaridae. Nature and it's magic is heavily woven into their culture. Many Hadari can shapeshift at will into cats of varying size, or even werecats. Like their Dorian neighbors, many Hadari sentinels spend their days fighting the monsters from the Feywilds. Hadari folk often have hair in a shade of red. Shapeshift: May shapeshift into a housecat-sized feline. If Druid class, may shapeshift into a Sabercat or Werecat. Walk the Wilds: Once per day, gain advantage on a nature or arcana check. Hadari Focus: Once per day, gain advantage on a ranged attack. ————— Hadari Highlands: Highlanders are a far cry from their more civilized neighbor nations; they are a shamanistic, hunter-gathering collection of nomadic tribes that eschew many of the modern trappings of the Ward. The Guildships have no establishments in the Highlands. Highlanders are skilled hunters and fighters, and while they respect and fear the power of magic they are no strangers to it. Walk the Wilds: Once per day, gain advantage on a nature or arcana check. Vigor: Heal twice as many hit dice when taking rests. Brute Force: Once per day, gain advantage on a STR or intimidate check, or a melee strike. ————— Northlands: Northlanders from outside the main city-states are hardy, intuitive people. There are a wide variety of northlander tribes, including Dusters, Axelanders, Reachmen, Kasimics, and Wyrmwasters. Magitech is well-known to Northlanders, although natural magic is often somewhat bizarre and alien to them. North of Wilscythe and the Zetero-Higuroth line, the Northlands are almost completely devoid of magic, unless it is contained safely in magically-warded conduits, such as higuri quartz and drakestones or enchanted crystals. Born Survivors: Once per day, gain advantage on a Survival check. Tinker-talk: Gain proficiency in magitech and tinkering. Overprepared: May begin with an additional adventurer’s pack. ————— Wilscythe: Scythians are a bold, adventurous people. Wanderlust is seemingly born into their blood, and they take easily to martial and magical arts alike. Almost every Scythian chases after a dream or goal with fervor, seeking to make a name for themselves in the world; it is from Wilscythe that the Northlander tradition of using kennings for surnames hails. Tunnels and catacombs beneath the city soon give way to the Old City: a massive network of ruins from the city that was buried in the war against the Bandit-King, long ago. Scythians are wary of any omens of the Bandit-King's return, and consider the magic-twisted horrors lurking in the under-city to be a portent of his inevitable revival. Inheritance: If starting with a martial weapon, it may be +1. Also begins with doubled starting gold. Dedication: May choose one extra proficiency, as well as a craft. Vigor: Heal twice as many hit dice when taking rests. ————— Zeteraska: Zeteraska is a smog-covered city-state of towering spires and winding tunnels, where progress at any cost is merely one of many unspoken laws. Its people reflect this, with seedy gangsters and thugs rubbing elbows with brilliant inventors and scholars on a daily basis. Zeteraskans are often pragmatic and inventive, if a little loose on morals. They also share a healthy rivalry with their neighbors from Higuroth. Their tunnels spill out from the plateau onto the flats between the two cities, providing a watershed for the sea of engineers and tinkers occupying the span, airships of all make and craft drifting lazily through the air above. Tinker-talk: Gain proficiency in magitech and tinkering. Concealed Carry: May begin with an additional one-handed weapon or arclock pistol. Tunnel Vision: After having a minute to adjust, can see in dim light. ————— Higuroth: Higuri folk are the keepers of magic in the Northlands, with many of them joining the College to pursue knowledge and magic. Many are capable of magic of some sort, and carry small trinkets made with Higuri Quartz, a magically-conducive mineral. They are also tinkers, partnering with their Zeteraskan allies (and rivals) in the massive Zeteraska-Higuroth Tinker’s faire that permanently occupies the distance between the twin cities. Ramps, lifts, and airship docks all assist the journey to the workshops and laboratories that dot the cliffside of the Higuri Plateau. Tinker-talk: Gain proficiency in magitech and tinkering. Fey-Touched: Can cast the Prestidigitation cantrip at will, no matter what class, so long as a source of magic is available. Higuri Trinket: Can start with a small piece of Higuri Quartz that can hold one (1) spell charge, and may be part of a trinket or piece of jewelry. So long as this item is in physical contact with its owner, it will automatically generate one spell charge per long rest. ————— Nezirath: Neziri people are often, but not always, devoted subjects of their Divine Emperor Nezir. They ardently obey the will of their emperor, and prove their loyalty and devotion through their pursuits. Neziri folk are very rarely magic-users, with it being deeply restricted in Nezirath; using magic even causes their eyes to glow a telltale shining gold, so that Nezir's military police can detect abusers of magic with ease. That being said, Neziri folk who have lived most of their lives outside the gates of Nezirath are a far cry from their cousins; they are knowing exiles, for no soul is allowed in to the gates of Nezirath, only out. They are a proud and inquisitive people, often struck with wonder and wanderlust for the world beyond the gates. Their exotic appearance and lifestyles make them somewhat of an oddity on the Ward, though they make fast friends with nearly anyone they meet. Dedication: May choose one extra proficiency, as well as a craft. Sunspear Training: Gain proficiency with martial weapons, and a spear. The Emperor's Will: Eyes glow gold when using magic or casting spells, enough to reveal the caster in the dark. Once per day, gain resistance against damage from a magical source(s) (force, arcane, necrotic, lightning etc.)